SteelSeries preps Android-iOS Bluetooth gaming controller

Trent Nouveau, 21st September 2012

SteelSeries is preparing to roll out a slick new Bluetooth gaming controller for Android and iOS devices.

The controller offers a full-featured suite of face and shoulder buttons, as well as dual analog sticks for more precise control.

Phandroid's Quentyn Kennemer notes the Bluetooth controller boasts battery life of 10 hours for non-stop gaming and 20 hours of casual gaming, as it automatically sleep after 3 minutes of inactivity. Plus, you can also use it while it's charging.

As expected, the SteelSeries Free will work with games that offer native gamepad support such as Grand Theft Auto 3, Max Payne and Shadowgun - as well as any other title that supports Zeemote mapping. The controller can also be fully customized and remapped.

In other gaming controller news, the $30 ThinkGeek 8-Bitty - a retro-style gamepad designed for use with Android or iOS devices - recently completed the FCC's approval process.

As Brad Linder of Liliputing points out, the 8-Bitty resembles a classic Nintendo controller, but is equipped with a few extra buttons that should let gamers play SNES-style titles.

The 8-Bitty connects to a mobile device wirelessly and features a D-pad plus 4 buttons on the front, select and start buttons, along with right and left shoulder buttons.

"[Yes], it can run the Atari Greatest Hits app on the iPad, which includes a free version of Missile Command. Or you can buy 100 games for $15... [Then again], I suspect most folks interested in this type of controller have their eye on Nintendo, Sega, or even PlayStation emulators," Linder added.